


Something Special

by JasnNCarly



Category: The Bold and the Beautiful
Genre: F/M, Interracial Relationship, adopt a fic challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-14
Updated: 2014-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-09 00:47:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15255717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasnNCarly/pseuds/JasnNCarly
Summary: This is part of the Adopt-A-Fic program at Once Upon a Time. This was originally Daphne’s idea as she wanted Caroline and Carter to have a shot. She’s written the preface, but the rest of the story/creative direction is mine.





	1. Chapter 1

**Preface – “Coming Undone” (By Daphne)**  
  
Today was supposed to be the day that she got everything that she had ever wanted. Today was supposed to be perfect. It was supposed to be  _everything_. And fuck it, it was ruined. It was ruined and everyone was standing there staring at her with either a look of pity on their face or a look that said “you should have known it would end this way”. Some appeared to wear both expressions and she hated it.  _Fucking hated it!_  
  
Rick had actually shown up here today. He had actually met her at the altar and held her hands - only to turn around and actually say the words  _“I don’t”_  when it came time to become united forever. And then he took off – no doubt to find that bitch Maya. He still wanted that saintly little slut even though Caroline had done everything in her power to convince him that he belonged with her. Caroline and Rick were so perfect, so well-matched in every way. They were birds of a feather. But Rick had chosen Maya once again. He had just destroyed Caroline in front of God and all of Los Angeles.  
  
People seemed torn as to what to do now. They seemed to be wondering if they should leave or try to offer her their condolences. They were waiting for Caroline to speak. They expected her to say something, maybe they even expected her to cry but dammit, she was too angry for that at the moment.  
  
“You heard him, everyone. He said ‘I don’t’. He doesn’t want me. He wants … Her. He wants Maya!” Caroline screamed and suddenly hurled her bouquet across the room in a fit of rage. It hit Rick’s mother square in the face and the look of indignation on Brooke’s face almost made Caroline laugh out loud. She should have been apologetic for it but couldn’t bring herself to be. Brooke had told Caroline that she and Rick were meant for each other and then changed her tune along the way and started saying that Maya was Rick’s true love. Bitch deserved what she got. They all did.  
  
Caroline’s two moms came hurrying towards her. Karen reached her daughter first, grabbing for Caroline’s arm. Caroline yanked away so fast that she toppled back into the altar and a vase full of lilies went crashing to the floor. This time Caroline did laugh as dirt and glass went flying every which way. A shard even embedded in her ankle and that somehow made her laugh all the harder, seeing crimson blood running down her foot. She could feel everyone’s eyes boring into her. Whispers and even some uncomfortable laughter rippled through the chapel. They had all come there to witness a wedding but instead got to see this spectacle instead.  
  
 _Well, if they want a spectacle, a spectacle is what they’ll get!_  Caroline vowed inwardly. She then savagely ripped the satiny veil and silver clips from her hair and hurled them to the ground. She then proceeded to stomp on them as hard as she could until the heel broke off of her left Vera Wang stiletto. She pulled it off next and chucked that down the aisle too. Both of her mothers were begging her to stop what she was doing but she just kept going – throwing anything she could find – flowers, the huge, gold-framed photo of her and Rick on the easel, the easel itself, and even the train of her Forrester Original gown which she tore from her body. Half of her dress came free with it though and then she was standing there in her tiny white panties and silky, strapless bra.   
  
She started to shiver then and that’s when the tears finally came…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, the story is my writing/creative direction.

**The Beginning – Turn It Around**  
  
A month was all it took for Caroline to be a treadmill sprinter, desperate to get away from all the drama which surrounded her following the wedding.  
  
_“Look, you might be able to gain access to some of Rick’s holdings, but the prenup was pretty much null and void with the lack of a ceremony.”_  
  
His words were almost louder than the music emerging from her earbuds as he hopped on the machine next to her; the last time she had seen Carter, she was still trying to plot while he forfeited.  
  
_“You’re not the only one who got hurt here, all right? I—I wanted to be the one who gave Maya everything, something I’m not sure **your**  Rick appreciates.” _  
  
She glanced over, briefly making note of his muscle definition, until his crooked smile noted he caught the momentary lapse in judgment; turning up her music and the speed of the machine, Caroline pushed herself to forget everything associated with her decisions.  
  
Her initial intentions in coming to Los Angeles were to bring in some kind harmony and consideration; yet the town had turned her into the type of woman she hated. A woman she thought Rick wanted…one who could make him happy.  
  
Caroline was tempted to increase her speed once more when she noted the track beneath her feet stalled, bringing her to a slow pace; checking into reality, she found Carter decreasing the machine’s speed with a soft yet stern glare.  
  
Yanking an ear piece out, she resisted the urge to slap his hand away, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”  
  
“Trying to keep you from running through a gym wall.” Without warning or request, Carter had brought the machine to a stop; looking at his watch, he used the opposite hand to cup her hand and press his thumb to her wrist, “Not to mention, keep you from having a heart attack.”  
  
Despite the pounding ringing in her ears, the heat of her skin and lead of her feet, Caroline huffed, “I’m fine.”  
  
“Mmm-hmm.” Carter signalled for her to step off the treadmill, continuing to hold her wrists, “Just take a few minutes to breathe evenly, will you?”  
  
“Funny, despite losing an engagement, you’re still acting like a nagging wife.” Caroline’s tongue was plated in silver yet still managed to strike with serpent quickness.  
  
“What else would I expect from a bitter L.A. woman? Good guys are a damn myth to y’all.” Carter allowed her to jerk her wrist out of his grasp, “Fine, run yourself into the ground over two people who could care less. Sounds like a wonderful plan.”  
  
Caroline immediately regretted her decision, certain Carter was probably the only person in the entire world to understand the betrayal committed against her, “Wait.”  
  
Tossing a towel over his shoulder, he turned to face her once more, “What is it?”  
  
“Thank you for your concern and,” She swallowed hard, forcing herself to say the next words despite wanting to bite her tongue until it bled, “forgive my extra dose of today’s bitch.”  
  
Despite defensively crossed arms, Carter allowed a smile to crack his lips, “You’re welcome.”  
  
“To stress my apology, I would like to buy you a cup of coffee or—something.” Caroline had no idea where the courage came from, but it was too late to rescind the invitation; nervous at the pause, she plastered a sarcastic grin, “Maybe you could criticize my sugar intake next.”  
  
“Maybe.” Carter shook his head, bowing his head in an attempt to quiet his laugh, “Give me five minutes.”  
  
As he walked away to gather his things, Caroline easily observed the muscles of his back stretching his tank top and recognized where her boldness had come from; it was her turn to make some people envious, and she may have just found her way.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Middle – Character Reveal**

“Is that all this was or has been?” Carter’s ebony eyes were full of a hurt that downplayed his intimidating figure, the broadness of his tense shoulders and bulky biceps, “A way to get back at Rick? To stick it to Maya? Because, you know, she never wanted me the way she wanted him so there was probably an easier target.” 

Caroline blotted her lips, swallowing some of her tears, before she released the plea, “Could you stop making it sound so wrong? I may have gotten into it for the wrong reasons, but—”

“But nothing! Do you realize what you’ve done to  **us**  to get back at them?”

She did. A night which should’ve been dedicated to her new fashion line, to the business backed by Bill and cleansed by Carter, was now reduced to an F.U. directed at Rick. After Rick had shown up at the event, parading his new bride in a new Forrester Creation, she spewed her venom to the press,  _“Know this, my line will crush any recycled materials from Forrester. I always come out on top, don’t I Rick?”_

“It was stupid.” Caroline could not stop herself from lashing out, not after her wedding catastrophe, “I spoke out of turn; I—I wasn’t thinking about anything except the fact that I haven’t seen them together since my wedding day…and they almost ruined this for me. I—”

“This wasn’t about them!” Carter exploded, something she had never really seen him do; pulling his tie from around his neck and tossing it over the roof ledge, “And you don’t get to excuse what you just did in there! You let them win again by playing this  **stupid**  game!”

“Please, don’t…” She struggled to maintain composure as he strangled the brick ledge, unable to even look at her, “be mad at me. Please, Carter…”

Tomorrow, Caroline’s words would make a hundred headlines; Rick’s new bride and their scandal would threaten her launch; yet nothing mattered if she lost her closet somebody in the process.

“You’re the only…ally I have, okay? I can’t—lose you.” 

“You don’t get it.” Carter turned to her, leaning against the ledge as he strangled the air in frustration, “I’m not just some ally; I’m not a weapon against Rick Forrester for you or anybody else! When is everyone gonna get that!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?” Caroline closed the distance between them, daring to grab his hands and clasp them against her chest, “I meant…I can’t lose you. Period. You’re the only…anything that I have and—it’s not like family or a business partner. I honestly don’t know what it is, but I need you.” The confession felt like she was verbally vomiting all over him, but she felt encouraged by the softened gaze of his chocolate eyes, “Carter, I made a stupid mistake.”

“You’d really be that upset if I left you here to celebrate with your family and fan club downstairs?” Her nod provoked him to shake his head, “I highly doubt that.”

“You shouldn’t.” Caroline was mindful that she still held his hands within her own, kept them tight against her heartbeat, “I wouldn’t be doing any of this if it weren’t for your support. I would've found a much dirtier way to get back at both of them, but you gave me directions to the high road.” When he finally revealed a resistant grin, she stepped forward once more and came against him, “I should’ve let him and Maya stand in the background because that’s all their good for. But you?...I wanted you right beside me.”

Before Carter’s slightly parted lips could formulate the question, hers had crashed against them; a few months of flirting had formulated into something entirely new as his arms circled her waist.

Caroline felt weightless in his arms as he propped her up on the roof ledge, one arm keeping her body tight against his as his hand slid up her skirt and her hands fumbled with his belt.

[Quote](https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/farfromforgotten/posting.php?mode=quote&f=108&p=22004136)


	4. Chapter 4

**The Ending – Choices**  
  
“Are we really doing this tomorrow?”  
  
“Of course, we are! I did not design that beautiful dress for someone else to wear.”  
  
Her legs and arms easily wrapped around him as Carter’s hands lifted her up and held her hips, “Your family isn’t really known for calm weddings, Caroline.”  
  
“None of them were marrying you,” She nuzzled his nose affectionately before kissing the side of his throat and hugging him tight, “and you ground a Spencer.”  
  
“I’m going to make you happy. I promise.”  
  
Caroline pulled away just enough to look into his eyes, whispering, “You already do.”  
  
Just as he had stolen a kiss from his willing woman, Karen’s voice was a siren in the air, “All right, you two, that’s enough!”  
  
“Break!” Her other mother commanded, getting Caroline to hop down as Carter tried to wipe her lipstick from his lips; pushing him out the door, she mumbled, “Save it for the wedding!”  
  
Carter was almost out the door, only his head and shoulders visible as he called back to Caroline, “I love you!”  
  
“I’ll see you at the altar!” Caroline shouted, giggling as her mother finished shoving him out the door and forced her to count the hours until she saw her groom again.  
  
~*~  
  
“What are you doing here?”   
  
It was a question she would have been happy to ask him, happy to hear him fumble through, on any day but her wedding day; Rick stood visibly shaken in his navy blue suit, locking the door of her dressing room, “I had to see you.”  
  
“Fine, this is your late invite to our reception.” Caroline moved away from the vanity mirror, nervously touching her loose, romantic curls, “My wedding is about start.” The proclamation left her lips with a sharp laugh of disbelief; she moved to the chaise to retrieve her bouquet, “You can’t be here.”  
  
“You know, don’t you?”  
  
It was all over the news. His marriage to Maya had gotten ugly, leaving them to fight over his money, after rumors of Rick’s infidelity had hit the dirt sheets.  
  
“You didn’t say anything.”  
  
“Because it doesn’t change anything, Rick! I’m in love with Carter!” Caroline filled with red hot fury as she imagined aloud, “Tell me you left Maya back in Los Angeles! Tell me you didn’t come all this way to Jamaica and leave her open to ruin my wedding, again!”  
  
“How could she? Carter is right where he wants to be, ready to marry a goldmine.”  
  
“You’re so predictable, you know that?” She yanked at her wedding train, coming to a proud stance in front of him, “That’s all I am to you, right? Money and a name? Carter could not care less about any of that!”  
  
Caroline had done very well with her launch, everyday more young and famous parties were asking for her work; however, that perfect revenge had come to her when she stopped trying, allowing Carter to dominate all the social time she possessed.  
  
“I have to get to my groom before we lose the light.”   
  
“Caroline,” Rick’s call to her was accompanied with a desperate kiss, one meant to melt her like butter – just the way it used to.  
  
After an angry shove, she rushed to the mirror and cursed, “You ruined my lipstick, damn it!”  
  
~*~  
  
A careful reapplication and stomp later, Caroline’s arms were hooked into her mothers’; the sun had waited for its descent until she began her walk down the aisle.  
  
The crowd stood, her aisle lit with candles, and she saw the right man standing in anticipation of her arrival; a deep breath left him the moment their eyes connected, allowing the anxiety to leave them both.  
  
The white altar flickered with its own candlelight as Carter finally got to take her hand and stand in front of preacher; feeling his clammy palm, she used her free hand to reach up to stroke his high cheekbones and mouth,  _It’s okay._  
  
She wasn’t going anywhere, especially with Rick, when Carter was standing in front of her.

**The End**


End file.
